Three Iowa State Basketball Standouts From Lopsided Win Against Arizona State

After a senior night beatdown on Saturday afternoon, the Iowa State Cyclones went into Kansas City for the Big 12 tournament with high hopes and expectations. In the second round, they met up with a familiar foe, the Arizona State Sun Devils, the same team they had beat just the weekend prior.

It was an absolute beatdown. Iowa State won 91-42, absolutely dominating Arizona State on all fronts. The Cyclones were very impressive, and have booked themselves a trip to the quarterfinals, where they will take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Iowa State proved throughout the game that they are a threat to win the conference championship on Saturday if they reach it. Here are three standouts from the Wednesday win:

Milan Momcilovic

Momcilovic is an unreal offensive star. The junior was hitting threes like always, but also dominated in the paint, scoring layups and fadeaways easily. His ability to play off the ball has been key for the Cyclones, and he has been strong at both spotting up from three but also being a threat on the perimeter.

The creativity he brings to the Cyclones is an underrated aspect of his game that he showcased on Wednesday. He finished with 21 points, hitting four three-pointers, and overall helped Iowa State build tons of momentum.

Blake Buchanan

Buchanan had possibly the best game of his entire career, or at least certainly in his time as a Cyclone. The center finished with 17 points and six rebounds in the win, but more importantly, was an absolute beast in the paint.

Offensively and defensively, Buchanan was dominant on the inside, and his mixed bag of dunks, layups, and great backdoor cuts contributed to a phenomenal overall performance. It’s often Buchanan has either a great stat line or a great game of doing the little things right, but never really both. In this game, not only did he have a great stat line, but he was a key component to the Cyclones domination.

Joshua Jefferson

Jefferson is such an incredible basketball player. He is the perfect game manager, a great leader, and knows how to control Iowa State in any situation. He finished the game with 20 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Jefferson was a beast in the paint, but more importantly was patient, waiting for the right opportunities to make plays. That perfectly sums up his game against Arizona State. Composed, dominant, and a leader.